Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Red Scarf Girl by Ji-Li Jiang


Ages 12-adult

When Ji-Li was a small girl in Shanghai, China, she believed that Chairman Mao and the Communist Party had saved China and that she was very lucky to live there. She was happy, smart, a star pupil admired by her teachers and fellow students. Her family was financially secure and had good standing. Then in 1966, when Ji-Li was 12 years old the Cultural Revolution began and her world began to crumble. It was interesting to read how the government began systematically restricting more and more freedoms and the devastating effect it had on the people. This book is written from the perspective of a child who grew up very quickly as she had to become the care taker of her family. Despite all that the author has been through, she still considers herself quite blessed. She says, "After surviving the Cultural Revolution, I find myself more sensitive to the beauty of the human spirit". Ji-Li faced her trials with courage. This book is a quick and interesting read.

2 comments:

  1. This sounds really good, I'm excited to read it!

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  2. I read this book and I loved it.
    It really gave you the feel of what it
    was like in the cultural revolution.

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